England Our EnglandFives
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Fives motifThe ball and
                gloves used to play a game of Eton Fives are pictured in
                Eton, southern England November 20, 2009. Eton Fives is
                played by pairs wearing padded leather gloves on a
                three-walled court, based on the eccentric
                configurations of the area outside Eton chapel. The term
                fives is believed to refer to the number of digits on
                each hand. Picture taken November 20, 2009.

FIVES ON-LINE DIRECTORY

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FIVES
http://www.malcol.org/uploads/tx_evmalheaders/fivesheader.jpgFives is a British sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.  The game has also been known as hand-tennis and historically was often played between the buttresses of church buildings in England.
Although the etymology of "fives" is still obscure, players have come to accept that the word means the fingers of the hand acting in unison as in a "bunch of fives". The word was not used before the 17th century, but long before that the game was being played. Richard Mulcaster the 16th century headmaster of Merchant Taylor's School, had this to say: "The little hand ball whether it be of some softer stuffs, and used by the hand alone, or of some harder, and used with rackette .... against a wall alone, to exercise the bodie with both the handes in everie kind of motion." Handball the Irish game, has kept a softer ball, fives has not.

By the 18th and early 19th centuries fives was constantly recorded. Dr Johnson was hazy about the matter - "a kind of play with a bowl" the Dictionary said - but Parson Woodforde played in the churchyard at Babcary - buttresses made for good angles and, in prodigal fashion, betted on the result. Hazlitt wrote ecstatically about Jack Cavanagh's play, and Lord Torrington, that matter-of-fact observer, referred to the fives playing men and boys of Oswestry who "batter the church walls".

There are links between Fives and the Irish and North American handball games and indeed, in recent years, British clubs have begun to establish ties with clubs in those countries.There are two main types of fives, Rugby Fives and Eton Fives. A precursor to Rugby Fives is Warminster (or Wessex) Fives; another variant of Wessex fives is Winchester Fives, although there are only 9 places in the UK where this is still played. Most schools where fives is played have only one type of court but three schools have historically had both Eton and Rugby courts - Cheltenham, Dover and Marlborough. Cheltenham now only have Rugby courts and Dover two unrestored Eton courts; Marlborough have four of each in good condition.  As We researched for this site it became obvious that many fives courts were either in disrepair or hardly used. Many schools with fives facilities do not even mention them and even the lovely Bank of England Sports Ground left it off it's website- a telephone call had to be made to ascertain if the Courts were there and in use- thankfully they were.

WALLS IN WESSEX

Warminster Fives is likely to be the same game as Wessex Fives, which originates some centuries ago, when men and boys used the buttresses and walls of a church and hit the ball with their hands against the walls - the angles of the buttresses and walls lending variety to the game. It might then have been a game played as singles or doubles. Wessex Fives was played in the West Country against the walls of inns and more frequently, church towers, where the glaziers were often called in, it seems, to repair the stained glass windows. In 1754, the Bishop of Bath and Wells ordered the game of Fives should cease to be played against church towers as undoubtedly over one hundred years glaziers' bills were beginning to be felt with some pain by the exchequer. In Wessex only a small following remains, mainly from Winchester College who play what is now more commonly known as Winchester Fives. Below are some of the older walls where Wessex Fives were played.

Shepton Beauchamp,Somerset
In the grounds of the former New Inn
Hinton St George,Somerset
Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George
                         South Petherton,Somerset
Crown Lane, 
North Cheriton,Somerset
Bishops Lydeard,Somerset
Lethbridge Arms, Bishops Lydeard
                        Stoke sub Hamdon,
Somerset
Fleur de Lys Inn, Stoke sub Hamdon
 Milborne Port,Somerset
Home to a unique double Fives court, erected in 1847 by Sir William C. Medlycott, the local MP, "for the health and amusement of the town
Anchor Inn Fives Wall
Fives Court,

  Otterhampton,Sedgemoor
,Somerset
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Fives Court, Wiltshire
A Care Home owned by the Orders of St John Care Trust, whose address is given as Fives Court, Angel Lane, Mere
                       Mere,Wiltshire
Site of a 19th-century Fives Wall.
Montacute church,Somerset
Records show that Fives was played against the tower of this church
All Saints Church, Wrington, Somerset
There are many references to Fives being played against the church tower here.
Stone building with square tower. Stone building with prominent square tower.
                        In the foreground are gravestones.
St Michael's Church, Milverton, Nr Taunton
It is known that Fives was played up against the North wall of this church
Stoke St Mary, Somerset
There are records of Fives being played against this church tower as early as 1634
Fives Court Row, Bridport, Dorset
A row of cottages on West Bay Road, known (for reasons unknown to the RFA) as Fives Court Row.
Babcary Church, Nr Somerton, Somerset
References exist to Fives being played in the churchyard at Babcary as long ago as 1765

Fives at Shrewsbury School

VARIATIONS OF FIVES

There are two main types of fives, Rugby Fives and Eton Fives. A precursor to Rugby Fives is Warminster (or Wessex) Fives; another variant of Wessex fives is Winchester Fives, although there are only 9 places in the UK where this is still played. Most schools where fives is played have only one type of court but three schools have historically had both Eton and Rugby courts - Cheltenham, Dover and Marlborough. Cheltenham now only have Rugby courts and Dover two unrestored Eton courts; Marlborough have four of each in good condition. The Eton Fives Association had forty affiliated schools, the Rugby Fives Association, fifty, the EFA besides the Jesters (who naturally figure in both lists since they were started as a Rugby Fives Club in 1928), has numerous Old Boys' clubs and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The RFA has fewer Old Boys' clubs but more universities, ten in fact, and three or four other institutions of which the Bank of England and Manchester YMCA have long fives histories. Nevertheless new courts are seldom built, although Oxford University now has two new Eton fives courts. Such success as fives enjoys, and it really is considerable among players, is largely the result of fine records of the two Associations. No minor games have ever had more devoted attention or better organisation than have Rugby and Eton fives.
Eton Fives
Photograph of the
                        Original Eton Fives CourtEton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball is played 'up' before it bounces twice. The compact nature of the court and the speed at which the ball can be hit leads to an entertaining game, in which both a quick mind and agile feet are needed if you are to succeed. Eton Fives is an uncommon sport, with only a few courts, most of them as part of the facilities of the Public Schools in the United Kingdom (as well as Wolverhampton Grammar School, St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School, the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, King Edward's School, Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth's School for Boys)and Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Ashbourne; consequently, it is primarily the preserve of their students and alumni. The only known court to be owned by a private individual in the UK is on the Torry Hill estate in Kent.

St Olaves Grammar School, Lancing College and Summerfields Prep school house the only indoor Eton Fives courts in England, with four courts being part of an Eton Fives and Squash Court complex (consisting of four top quality courts for both sports) at the former[citation needed].
However, the first real public courts have recently opened in the Westway sports centre in London's White City, marking a possible change in fortunes for Eton Fives as a minor sport. Only a few courts exist outside Britain, most notably at Geelong Grammar School in Australia (the school is often referred to as the 'Eton of Australia'); there are also courts in Geneva, Zurich, Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz, Switzerland, St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, India and Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia, and two brand new courts have recently been completed in the South of France, in the village of Grillon, Provence.Eton Fives is played competitively as a doubles game, as opposed to Rugby Fives, which is played as both a singles and a doubles game. In Eton Fives the ball is softer and lighter than in Rugby or Winchester fives, and the gloves are fairly thin.

Fives CourtThe Eton Fives court is modelled on part of Eton College's Chapel and is enclosed on three sides and open at the back. It has a more complex variation and some specific court features or "hazards". A small step splits the court into upper and lower sections, and sloping ledges run horizontally across the walls, one of which forms the "line". There is a large obstruction, known as a 'buttress', or a 'pepper' to fives players, on the left-hand side of the court in line with the step. At the bottom of the buttress is the 'box' or 'pepper pot'. The step extends approximately 80 cm into the court and is around 15 cm high. The first courts at Eton were built in 1840 and the Laws for Eton Fives were first published in 1931.

The Eton Fives Association
Rugby Fives
Mixed Pairs 2011

It is most commonly believed to be derived from Wessex Fives, a game played by Thomas Arnold, famous Headmaster of Rugby School, who had played Wessex Fives when a boy at Lord Weymouth's Grammar, now Warminster School. The open court of Wessex Fives, built in 1787, is still in existence at Warminster School although has fallen out of regular use.

An early mention of the game can be found in the novel Tom Brown's School Days(1857) by Thomas Hughes. The author attended Rugby School during the period when Dr. Arnold was Headmaster.

The game is played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles), the aim being to hit the ball above a 'bar' across the front wall in such a way that the opposition cannot return it before a second bounce. The ball is slightly larger than a golf ball, leather-coated and hard. Players wear leather padded gloves on both hands, with which they hit the ball.

Rugby Fives, developed at Rugby School, is played in a four wall court (quite similar to a squash court). The four walls and floor are uniform and contain no hazards such as in Eton Fives. The front wall has a height of sixteen feet, sloping down about half way along to six feet at the back.

The balls used in Rugby and Winchester Fives are fairly hard and hence the gloves worn are thicker than those used in Eton Fives. Rugby Fives has had an official varsity match between Oxford and Cambridge annually since 1925.



The RFA is the governing body for the sport of Rugby Fives. The association aims to promote the playing and coaching of Fives at schools, universities and senior level, and throughout the community in general. It does this by organising matches and tournaments throughout the season and advising on – and wherever possible supporting financially – the regeneration of facilities and provision of suitable coaching and equipment to further the game's development across the country.



The
                        image
                        “http://playfives.co.uk/cityfives/images/rugby_logo.jpg”
                        cannot be displayed, because it contains
                        errors.GENERAL SECRETARY:
Andy Pringle

66 Brayburne Avenue
Clapham
London SW4 6AA
M: 07760 172904
Warminster Fives

A less well known, but possibly much older version of the game is Warminster Fives, a game based on Wessex Fives which is thought to have been played at Lord Weymouth's School, now Warminster School from as early as 1787. It has even been claimed that Rugby Fives owes its creation to the famous Headmaster Thomas Arnold who had first played Fives when a pupil at Lord Weymouth's.

Whilst an 1860 Warminster Fives Court still exists at Warminster School, the game is rarely played in the area any more and the fine details of the game are probably lost. The Warminster Fives Rules are recorded in many locations including the Eton Fives Website.
 
http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/mK5V2wXnxSU4NFsegYckRKg/140.jpg

Winchester Fives


A further variation is Winchester Fives. This variation differs by the addition of a buttress which is a thin layer of concrete reaching to the top of the court on the left-hand wall, although much smaller than the one used in Eton Fives. The courts at Winchester and Radley ("proper" Winchester courts) have an 11-foot-high (3.4 m) back wall which further differentiates the courts from the Rugby variety.


  Clifton Fives - and other variants

Some public schools have their own variation on the standard Rugby Fives court - at Clifton College for instance, the court has a half-height back wall. In Clifton Fives if the ball bounces out of the back of the court, a 'let' is played.

http://www.shrewsburyschool.org.uk/images/sport/Fives_EFA_TrophyBarberCupLadiesChamps_068_2010.jpg


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http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41G%2BtDstKwL._SL500_AA300_.jpgEton Fives Schools 
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Aldenham School Berkhamsted School Bryanston School Charterhouse School Cheltenham Ladies College City of Norwich School
City of London School Cranleigh School Emanuel School Eton College Geelong Grammar School Harrow School
Highgate School High Wycombe Royal Grammar School Ipswich School King Edward's School, Birmingham
Lancing College Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
Marlborough College Mill Hill School Oakham Queen Elizabeth's Boys Grammar School Repton School Rossall School
Rydal Penrhos St Bartholomew's Newbury St Bees School St John's School St Olave's Grammar School St Paul's School Darjeeling
Shrewsbury School Stowe School Uppingham School Westminster School Wolverhampton Grammar School Wrekin College
  Prep Schools
Aysgarth School Belmont Berkhamsted Prep School Cranleigh Prep Highgate Junior School Ludgrove
Orley Farm Summer Fields School Sunningdale School


Old Boy Clubs
Old Aldenhamians Old Berkhamstedians Old Carthusians
Hon Sec Ronald Pattison
rp50@virgin.net

Old Cholmeleians (Highgate) Old Citizens Old Edwardians
Old Emanuels Old Etonians
Mr A.M. Knight: 07803 294072.
Email: alex.knight@bigfoot.com

Old Harrovians
Secretary, Ross Bryan, on rjbryan_007@yahoo.co.uk
Old Ipswichians Lancing Old Boys Old Millhillians
Old Olavians Old Reptonians Old Salopians Old Stoics Old Uppinghamians Old Westminsters
Old Wulfrunians




Universities
Cambridge University Oxford University University of Bristol Eton Fives Club



Other Clubs and Sports Centres
Goddington Lane
play at St.Olave's Grammar School
North Oxford Club Shrewsbury Monday Club The Abbey Club
Play at Westminster School
The Brigands The Aldenham Club
The Jesters Club Westway Sports Centre Windsor and Eton Edgbaston Eton Fives Club


   Overseas
Eton Fives Federation of India Eton Fives Association of Malaysia Malay College Old Boys Fives Federation of Nigeria Zuoz Fives Club (Switzerland) Terravista Maybud Fives Court (Brazil)

WALLS IN MERCIA
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Bishops Castle, Shropshire
Church of St John the Baptist, Bishops Castle. Fives used to be played against the wall of the tower, and the red line that acted as the 'bar' still exists to this day.
Whitcliffe, near Ludlow, Herefords
Bowling Green House - the former Ludlow Arms Inn, which has a 17/18th-century Fives court in the garden.
Fives Court
A street in  London,SE11
called 'Fives Court'
(Former) Musley School, Ware, Herts
One 19th century Fives court (apparently three-walled) on the site of the former Musley School.
Westway
                          Sports Centre
Shalford, Essex
A stable block, part of which has apparently been converted into a Fives court
 
St Mary's Church, Craswall.Herefords
 To the north of the church is a shallow rectangular depression said to have been a Fives Court.
Westway, London
The 21st Century brings Fives back
Malvern College, Malvern, Worcestershire
Where the compilor of this page enjoyed many hours in the fives courts in the 1950s

The EFA Northern Tournament 2012

4th/5th February 2012 at Shrewsbury School

11:00am start

There will be a Main Tournament and a separate Festival, both played over the whole weekend

Food and Drink will be provided

To enter please go to http://www.fivesonline.net/etonfives/tournament.html and follow the instructions

EFA Members: Ł12
Students: Ł8
School Pupils: Ł3
Non EFA Members: Ł20

School entries and any questions should be sent by email to Gareth Hoskins at garethjhoskins@yahoo.co.uk

The deadline for entries is Thursday 2nd February

 Rugby & Winchester Fives
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Schools
CliftonCollege
Oundle School
Malvern College
Blundell's School
Warminster School
Alleyn's School, Dulwich Bedford Modern School Bloxham School Blundell's School Bradfield College
Christ's Hospital
Clifton College
 Denstone College
Derby Moor Community School
 Eastbourne College
Fettes College
Giggleswick School
Hampton School
Heversham School
Kelly College, Tavistock
 King Alfred School
King Charles I School, Kidderminster
 King Edward VI School, Stratford Upon Avon
King's School, Bruton
 Loretto School
 Marlborough College
Malvern College
Merchant Taylors' School
Merchiston Castle School
 Oswestry School
 Oundle School  Radley College
 Rossall School
Rugby School
St Andrew's School
St Paul's School, Barnes
Sedbergh School
Sherborne School
Stoke Newington School
Sutton Valence School
Tonbridge School
University College School
Ushaw College
Warminster School
Winchester College
Whitgift School
The Pilgrims, Winchester
Old Boy Clubs
Old Merchant Taylors' Rugby Fives Club

Gareth Price Work: priceylah@mac.com

Old Tonbridgians Fives Club
Dr. Neil Arnott
01732 750 221
neil.d.arnott@btinternet.com

Old Alleynians
Edward Alleyn Club
Development and Alumni Office
Townley Road
London, SE22 8SU
Tel: 0208 557 1466/1588
Email: alumni@alleyns.org.uk

Old Gowers Fives Club
Mark Bliss at mark@mjbliss.freeserve.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or on 0207 443 949

Old Bradfieldians
Chris Thomas   thomases@dsl.pipex.com
Old Wykehamists
Old Rugbeians

Old Malvernians Court Games Club
Contact: DC Jenkins, Moors Farm, East Knoyle, Salisbury Wiltshire SP3  6BU  01747 830 095 davidcjenkins@email.com
Old Cliftonians

 15 Archfield Road, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 6BD
 0117 924 5314
peter@dunsc49.freeserve.co.uk

Old Paulines
 Peter KingLink
                              to e-mail address or club captain Adrian LeeLink
                              to e-mail address.














Universities & Other Educational Institutions
Cambridge University Fives Club    
Edinburgh Academy Devonshire Halls, Leeds University Oxford University University College London
Kings College, London

 









Fives Clubs
Executioners Rugby Fives
                            Club Wessex Fives Club derby moor fives
  

Executioners Rugby Fives Club
Play At St.Pauls School
Play at Winchester College
Derby Moor Community Sports College,
Moorway Lane, Littleover, Derby DE23 2FS.
Manchester YMCA Rugby Fives Club
www.yclub.org.uk
Union Boat Club of Boston (USA)
www.unionboatclub.org/fives.htm
West of England Fives Club Play at Clifton College
www.westfives.co.uk
White Rose Fives Club
Bank of England Sports Club



  
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Real Tennis Clubs in the UK
Hampton CourtReal tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis (usually simply called tennis), is descended. It is also known as court tennis in the United States, formerly royal tennis in Australia,now real tennis, and courte-paume in France (a reference to the older, raquetless game of jeu de paume, the ancestor of modern handball and raquet games; many French real tennis courts are at jeu de paume clubs).

The term "real" was first used by journalists in the middle of the 20th century to distinguish the ancient game from modern "lawn" tennis (even though that sport is seldom contested on lawns these days outside the few social-club-managed estates such as Wimbledon). Real tennis players often call the game "tennis", while continuing to refer to its more widely played offshoot as "lawn tennis". There are many theories as to the origins of tennis but many believe that the early form of tennis can be dated back to the 11th century when monks used to play hand ball around the cloisters of monasteries. The game gradually evolved to the game of Real Tennis, and became very popular with the French and British nobility. Henry VIII was a keen player and had the original Real Tennis court built at his Palace at Hampton Court but Charles II later re-modelled the court in the 17th century to the court that exists today which is the oldest in Britain.
Real tennis is still played by enthusiasts or "realists" on 47 or some say 49 existing courts in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and France. Despite a documented history of courts existing in the German states from the 17th century, the sport evidently died out there during or after the World War II reconstruction. The sport is supported and governed by various organizations around the world. The British Body is :
Aggie Hudson-Evans , Tennis and Rackets Association , c/o The Queens Club , Palliser Road ,London W14 9EQ , Tel: 020 7835 6937  
office@tennisandrackets.com
www.tennisandrackets.com
COURT ADDRESS CONTACT DETAILS
Bristol and Bath Tennis Club Beggar Bush Playing Fields
Abbots Leigh Road
Bristol
BS8 3QD
0117 9733444
bbtc.court@virgin.net
Head Professional
K R King
Cambridge University Tennis Court Grange Road
Cambridge
CB3 9DJ
01223 357106
professional@curtc.net
Head Professional
K Ludekens
Canford School Wimborne Minster
Dorset
BH21 3AD
01202 881232
steve.ronaldson@talk21.com 
Head Professional
S J Ronaldson
Falkland Palace Royal Tennis Club Falkland
Fife
Scotland
KY15 7BU
Secretary : Simon Sanders
01337 857397
simonzoe@tesco.net 
Hardwick House Whitchurch
Reading
Berkshire
RG8 7RB
Secretary : Michael Parsons
01491 681306
oldcottage@btinternet.com 
Hatfield House Tennis Club Fore Street Lodge
Hatfield House
Old Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL9 5NF
01707 273391
hhtc@gotadsl.co.uk
Head Professional
J S Dawes
Holyport Real Tennis Club Holyport Street
Holyport
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 2JR
01628 673964
Holyport.rtc@btinternet.com
Head Professional
A Williams
The Hyde Tennis Club Walditch
Bridport
Dorset
DT6 4LB
01308 420777
clubpro@hyderealtennis.co.uk
Head Professional
B Ronaldson
Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Matthew Bank
Jesmond
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 3RE
0191 281 6854
club@jdrtc.co.uk
Head Professional
P Hetherington
The Leamington Tennis Court Club 50 Bedford Street
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 5DT
01926 424977
tenniscourtclub@hotmail.com 
Head Professional
K Sheldon
The Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club 33 Blackfriars Road
Salford 3
Manchester
M3 7AQ
0161 834 0616
manager@mtrc.co.uk 
professional@mtrc.co.uk
Head Professional
S Brokenshaw
MCC The Tennis Court
Lord's Ground
St John's Wood
London
NW8 8QN
0207 616 8685
tennisandsquash@mcc.org.uk 
Head Professional
A Phillips
Middlesex University Real Tennis Club (formally The Burroughs) The Millennium Real Tennis Court
Hendon Campus
2 Campus Way
Hendon
London
NW4 4JF
020 8457 9568
murtc@btconnect.com
Head Professional
G Eden
Moreton Morrell Tennis Court Club Moreton Morrell
Warwick
Warwickshire
CV35 9AL
01926 651229
pro@mmtcc.co.uk 
Head Professional
T Granville
The Newmarket & Suffolk Real Tennis Club Fitzroy Street
Newmarket
Suffolk
CB8 0JT
01638 666612
pros@nsrtc.co.uk
Head Professional
A Knibbs
Old Cliftonians
  Club Secretary

Flat 1, Springleigh, Church Road, Leigh Woods, Bristol, BS8 3PG

0777 558 3908
Old Harrovian Real Tennis and Rackets Association.
contact A P J Wilson on 020 8946 9707 (home) or 07770 865 631 (mobile)
Old Rugbeians

Oliver Buckley  is the Hon. Sec and can be contacted by e-mail to oliverbuckley@tiscali.co.uk or by telephone on 020 8743 9796.
The Oratory Tennis Club The Sports Centre
The Oratory School
Woodcote
Reading
Berkshire
RG8 0PJ
01491 681303
realtennis@oratory.co.uk 
Professional
A Chinneck
Oxford University Tennis Court Merton College
Merton Street
Oxford
OX1 4JD
01865 244212
real-tennis.club@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk 
Head Professional
A Davis
Petworth House Tennis Club Estate Yard
Petworth House
Petworth
Sussex
GU28 0DU
01798 343527
phtc@btconnect.com
Head Professional
C J Bray
The Prested Hall Racket Club Prested Hall
Feering Chase
Nr Kelvedon
Essex
CO5 9EE
01376 570220
prestedproshop@aol.com
Head Professional
R Smith
The Queen’s Club Palliser Road
West Kensington
London
W14 9EQ
0207 385 3421
rackets@queensclub.co.uk 
Head Professional
A Lyons
Radley College c/o Sports Centre
Radley College
Abingdon
Oxon
OX14 2HU
01235 543176
cjr@radley.org.uk
Head Professional
C J Ronaldson
The Royal Tennis Court Hampton Court Palace
East Molesey
Surrey
KT8 9AU
0208 977 3015
royaltenniscourt@btconnect.com
Head Professional
N C Wood
Seacourt Tennis Club Victoria Avenue
Hayling Island
Hampshire
PO11 9AJ
02392 466122
mail@seacourt.com 
Head Professional
D Jones
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Racket Courts and Evening clubs
hrackets in Fleet
                          Street Prisonhttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3421470158_9d841ee832.jpgRackets (British English) or Racquets (American English) is an indoor racquet sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. The sport is infrequently called "hard rackets," possibly to distinguish it from the related sport of squash (formerly called "squash rackets").

Rackets began as an 18th century pastime in London's King's Bench and Fleet debtors prisons. The prisoners modified the game of fives by using tennis rackets to speed up the action. They played against the prison wall, sometimes at a corner to add a sidewall to the game. Rackets then became popular outside the prison, played in alleys behind pubs. It spread to schools, first using school walls, and later with proper four-wall courts being specially constructed for the game. Some historians assert that the game was codified through its popularity at the Harrow School in London, where it was played as early as the second half of the 18th century. The central Body for Rackets is:
Aggie Hudson-Evans , Tennis and Rackets Association , c/o The Queens Club , Palliser Road ,London W14 9EQ , Tel: 020 7835 6937  
office@tennisandrackets.com
www.tennisandrackets.com
School or Club Address Contact Details Evening Club Details
BRNC Dartmouth
Britannia Royal Naval College. Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 0HJ
The Sports Officer
(O) (01803) 832141 Ext 7016  Fax (01803) 832141 Ext 7015

Charterhouse School Charterhouse,
Godalming,
Surrey GU7 2DX
01483 291 671
racquets@rktcourts.fsnet.co.uk

Professional : M J Crosby
Hon Sec Tim Drayson
drayson310104@btinternet.com

Charterhouse Monks,
01483 291655
Cheltenham College Bath Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire GL53 7LD
01242 265624
brierzy@yahoo.co.uk

Professional : M Briers
 
Clifton College Clifton,
Bristol BS8 3JH
0117 315 7279
rcjwilliams1@hotmail.com

Professional :R C J Williams
Master In Charge:
Clifton Boasters
Eton College Windsor,
Berkshire SL4 6DW
01753 671187
p.brake@etoncollege.org.uk 

Professional : P Brake
OE Racquets and Tennis Club
Mr J.H.S. Denham, 17 Wandle Road, London SW17 7DL
Email: jhsd17@aol.com

 
Haileybury College Haileybury,
Hertford SG13 7NU
01992 706371
m.cawdron@haileybury.com

Professional : M Cawdron
Old Haileyburians

Mark Farmiloe, 
Flat 208, 7 High Holborn, London WC1V 6DS. Tel: 07970 150 180
mfarmiloe@jonesday.com
 
Harrow School 33 West Street,
Harrow on the Hill,
Middlesex HA1 3EL
0208 872 8227
rackets@harrowschool.org.uk 

Professional : J M Eaton
Old Harrovian Real Tennis and Rackets Association.
contact Harry Foster on 020 7381 8173 (home) or 07817 605 438 (mobile).
The Harrow Thursday Club,
01494 762076
Malvern College College Road,
Malvern,
Worcestershire WR14 3DF
01684 581639
twr@malcol.org

Professional : Noel Brett
Old Malvernians Court Games Club
Contact: DC Jenkins, Moors Farm, East Knoyle, Salisbury Wiltshire SP3  6BU  01747 830 095 davidcjenkins@email.com
 
The Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club 33 Blackfriars Road,
Salford 3,
Manchester M3 7AQ
0161 834 0616
professional@mtrc.co.uk  

Professional : S Brokenshaw
 
Marlborough College c/o The Rackets Court,
Marlborough,
Wiltshire SN8 1PA
01672 892491
rhw@marlboroughcollege.org 

Professional : R H Wakely
The Marlborough Courtiers 
Contact : Richard Spender

spenderr@hotmail.com
 
The Queen’s Club Palliser Road,
West Kensington,
London W14 9EQ
0207 385 3421
rackets@queensclub.co.uk 

Professionals: H Angus MBE , D C Johnson, A Lyons
Queen's Monday Club,
0207 386 3434
Radley College Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 2HR
01235 543156
mvh@radley.org.uk 

Professional : M V Hubbard
Old Radlians
Thane Warburg, The Arches, Longnor, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 7PP
01743 718005
 
RMA Sandhurst
The Royal Military  Academy
Sandhurst,
Camberley, Surrey GU15 4PQ
D Barrett (PT)/Captain D W N Bevan
Tel: 94261 E 2364

Rugby School Rugby,
Warwickshire CV22 5DJ
01788 556279
pwd@rugbyschool.net 

Professional : Tim Roberts
OR Rackets Association: 
Robin Geffen
robin.geffen@neptune-im.co.uk

 
Seacourt Tennis Club Victoria Avenue,
Hayling Island,
Hampshire PO11 9AJ
02392 466122
mail@seacourt.com

Professional : D Jones
 
St Paul's School Lonsdale Road,
Barnes,
London SW13 9JT
020 8746 5314
steve.tulley@stpaulsschool.org.uk

Professional : S Tulley
 Evening Club
Tonbridge School 19 Havelock Road,
Tonbridge,
Kent TN9 1JE
01732 365555 ext 4316
djm@tonbridge-school.org

Professional : D J Makey
Old Tonbridgians
 
Wellington College Crowthorne,
Berkshire RG45 7PU
01344 444251
Master i/c Rackets: Mr Charles Oliphant-Callum    
 cmoc@wellingtoncollege.org.uk
Old Wellingtonians
James Coyne
email;james.coyne@sbjgr.com

 
Winchester College Winchester,
Hampshire SO23 9LX
01962 621137
terc@wincoll.ac.uk 

Professional : T E R Cawston
Old Wykehamists
James Williams
 james_williams@cantab.net

Winchester Monday Club,
01256 305510

Wykeham Rackets Club,
01329 846264

If we have leftyou out we are sorry but just call us on 0207 183 4978 or  Contact us Click & we will be pleased to include you

THE COURTS CIRCULAR
360 Ball


In the new racquet game of 360ball,
                          players hit a ball into a central concave
                          dish, trying...

http://images.gizmag.com/inline/360ball-8.jpg
If you are a little tired of the more traditional racquet sports such as tennis and squash. You might be interested in give a new racquet game a go called 360ball.

360ball is played in a circular court where players use a racquet to strike a ball onto a centrally placed concave disc. The court has no separate sides and players pivot 360 degrees around the disc as directed by play. t’s kind of like table tennis, kind of like squash, and looks like it would definitely be a good workout – it’s 360ball, a new racquet sport out of South Africa. Games are played on a circular court by two players, or two teams of two players, who are situated around a central concave deflecting disc. Players hit the ball into the disc, trying to do so in such a way that when it bounces out, their opponent(s) won’t be able to reach it. Unlike tennis, say, there are no designated sides on which players have to remain. Instead, everyone is allowed to move 360 degrees around the disc as play dictates ... hence the name.

To make things a little trickier, each player or team must hit the ball twice before it returns to the disc. In the case of a single player, this means that they have to hit the ball up into the air upon receiving it, then follow through with a second stroke to send it back to the disc. In a doubles game, the team member who receives the ball must pass it to their partner, who then shoots it into the disc.

There are two versions of 360ball, court and pitch. The court game sees the disc and hard-topped playing area enclosed by a tall circular wall, which can be utilized by the players for rebound shots. To play the pitch game, players simply plop the disc down on the grass, beach or gym floor, and have to chase after the ball if they miss it.

The game sets are not yet available for purchase, as the creators of 360ball are still looking for investors to grow their business. Hopefully it will hit the shelves soon, as it appears to be a lot of fun – it also looks like it might involve a lot of collisions between players, but then again, that could be part of the fun.

In the new racquet game of 360ball,
                          players hit a ball into a central concave
                          dish, trying...

360ball
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